Hot Cross Buns

Traditionally these buns were baked for Lent (the 40 days before Easter). It is a Catholic tradition that they started on Ash Wednesday. Their greatest day is Good Friday for they commemorate Christ’s suffering on the cross. That is why they are also known as Good Friday Buns. It is believed in the 12 century an Anglican Monk placed a cross on the top of the buns before baking to honor Good Friday.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 tablespoon powdered milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup oatmeal

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cross Paste

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup orange marmalade

Directions:

Combine the warm water into the bottom of your mixer. Add the yeast and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. It should get bubbly. Meanwhile, butter the inside of a large plastic bowl.

Use your dough hook attachment and on low speed, add the powdered milk and the maple syrup.

Mix for a minute or two then add the oatmeal, flour, butter, salt, spice and chocolate chips. Continue kneading scraping down down sides of your bowl and the dough hook if necessary, about five minutes. Add chocolate chips and knead with dough hook until incorporated.

Knead into a ball and place in prepared buttered bowl. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise until doubled in size about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Turn dough onto work surface and make into a log. cut log into 12 pieces. Form into balls and place into a buttered baking dish (I used a 9×13). Again allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Here is how I made the crosses on the top.

Mix flour with water. Put the cross paste in a pipping bag, or you can use a ziplock bag with a cut at the end.

Pipe crosses on the top of each bun.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Put the marmalade in a medium bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until warm.